Paging Inspiration

Still no spike on the Inspir-O-Meter. My online haunts have been quiet, too. I visit a few blogs almost daily and this past week, no one has been posting much of anything. Either everyone is writing for real or life in general has distracted them. It happens—the latter more often than the former, I fear, but there you go. One simply has to roll with it. At least I’m not climbing the walls or fretting my innards to fiddlestrings over not knowing what to do next. My attitude adjustment is proceeding nicely in that regard.

When none of my regulars are around, I swing over to see what Chuck Wendig is saying at www.terribleminds.com. Earlier this week, he posted a lengthy dissertation (one might call it a diatribe) about the pros/cons of self-publishing which was interesting but not terribly helpful in that my head ain’t there at present; however, on Wednesday he featured a guest blogger named JC Hutchins who wrote about writing in a way that resonated like an Oriental gong.

Writing will drive you crazy. By the same token, stay with it, do not give up, and for the sake of all that is holy, do not abandon an idea. Put it on hold if you must. It might be years before you can pick it up again, but pick—it—up. It was an awesome post (read it here) that struck me for a reason:

Reijo.

I have longed to write a romance for Reijo since 2005. He is easily the most poetic character I have ever met, more so than Julian because Reijo is truly the pristine white knight of yore. In my hands, of course, he has suffered mightily; he’s not near as pure as he was when he started, but he’s been through the mill and if anyone deserves a happy ending, it’s him. After six volumes in the Fixed Fire series, book 7 is it. Reijo’s happy ending, the story I waited half a decade to write.

I finally started it in 2011. Started it and stopped it, moved house, started it again in 2012, moved house again, stopped it again, got distracted by Sian, Julian, Comfortable Rebellion, Jake and, most recently, Shade. I’ve been sitting on a half-written novel for going on three years, a novel I have dreamed of writing yet appear to have done everything in my power to avoid completing. In truth, the entire series got out of control; it took over my life in 2002 and my life has been fighting to reclaim me ever since. It’s tough being the bone in a tug of war, I’ll tell you, and while this sounds a lot like whining … well, it is. I think it’s just dawned on me that I want to pick up Reijo’s romance and finish it before I am distracted by anything else. I can entertain new ideas and stash away scenes and little conversations for future reference, but he must be my priority.

So get on it, Ru. Write Reijo’s happy ending. Really. You know his world better than your own; how hard can it be?

Pick—it—up.